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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · fine · band · press · coach · bay · deal · cold

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cold — not warm
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cold — an illness
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. deal — to handle
  8. band — a music group
  9. court — of a king
  10. press — to push
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. court — of law
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. fine — all right
  23. court — for sport
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com